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Frequently Asked Questions
How is the right size chosen?
By counting points by type, not by total.
Universal, digital, analogue and relay all differ.
The right total with the wrong mix is unusable.
Every sensor, valve and status contact counts.
Leave genuine spare capacity.
Expansion costs less than replacement.
Why is the programming environment the lasting decision?
It decides who can maintain the building.
Open documented languages widen that pool.
Proprietary tools are licensed to approved contractors.
That is a commercial position as much as technical.
Make it a deliberate choice at purchase.
Discovering it later is expensive.
What happens if the supervisory network drops?
A well-written controller carries on.
It executes its strategy locally.
Only supervision and logging are lost.
Plant stopping because a server is down is a design fault.
Confirm standalone operation explicitly.
Test it before handover.
What should the handover include?
The program, readable outside the device.
Point schedules and wiring records.
Any licence keys required to edit it.
Passwords held by the client.
A program only readable from a live controller is not documentation.
Make it a condition of completion.
How does it differ from a packaged unitary controller?
A packaged controller arrives knowing its application.
It is configured rather than programmed.
That is faster and far less flexible.
Programmable controllers suit non-standard plant.
They suit sequences no packaged product offers.
Use the simpler option where it fits.
What makes a strategy maintainable?
Structure and naming, more than cleverness.
Descriptive point names survive staff changes.
Comments explain intent, not syntax.
Consistent structure across controllers helps most.
A clever program nobody can follow is a liability.
Require a documentation standard in the specification.
Does it need a display?
Usually not on the controller itself.
Access is normally through a laptop or the network.
A local display helps during commissioning.
It also helps when the network is down.
Room units serve occupants separately.
Decide from who stands in front of it.